Chapter 17 Summary

The chapter is not specifically dated but obviously takes place after the previous chapter, probably 14 AD through16 AD. Claudius notes that Tiberius rules with moderation and usually consults the senate before taking political action. Some few senators, political opponents, dare to openly defy his power. Tiberius eventually tires of their antics and delivers a well-phrased and public rebuke; thereafter, his political opponents remain quiet. As his rule becomes routine, Tiberius grants powers and offices to his friends and he greatly strengthens the Rome guard and his personal bodyguards. Claudius then goes into a rather rambling discussion of the two types of ciphers used by Livia and Augustus, noting that in later life he was able to crack the more complicated cipher relatively easily.

During this period, Germanicus is recalled from Germany so that Castor could assume command of the frontier and gain military...